Network Manager by Day, Blogger by Night.
Archive for May, 2011
Aqua Connect Terminal Server
May 31st
Avanquest Software Publishing, a leading global developer and publisher of business and consumer software, has today announced the UK release of Aqua Connect Terminal Server following its agreement to publish the Mac terminal server solution in the UK. An innovative, enterprise grade terminal server solution, Aqua Connect Terminal Server delivers business and process efficiencies across multiple industry sectors by increasing productivity in diverse hardware environments.
What is a terminal server?
A terminal server enables multiple users on different types of hardware to connect to a server remotely from any location. Aqua Connect Terminal Server therefore provides multiple users anywhere in the world with remote access to the Mac operating system and its applications, regardless of whether or not they have a Mac. It offers an alternative solution to virtualisation on the Mac platform and has been developed with input from both Microsoft® and Apple®.
Why use Aqua Connect Terminal Server?
Aqua Connect Terminal Server enables businesses to efficiently control costs by utilising existing hardware and software resources. It can help businesses save up to 75% on hardware costs and up to 90% in energy costs with thin client deployments and is a cost effective and time saving solution that makes it easy to:
- Make Windows PCs and old hardware devices connect and function as Macs
- Distribute Mac-based programs with a single point of installation and maintenance
- Deliver the latest OS and apps to old Macs without updating each machine
- Centralise data to allow for local and remote collaboration
- Implement failover systems for data backup and recovery
- Gain easy access to databases, work files and programs remotely
- Securely outsource work with built-in encryption for remote sessions
How does Aqua Connect Terminal Server work?
Aqua Connect Terminal Server is a server-based technology that provides remote access to the Mac OS X desktop experience over the network to end users. It provides remote access to a Mac desktop through graphical terminal emulation from an Apple server.
“Our goal has been to create a local desktop experience for end users through OS X terminal services that provide organisations with cost efficient technology in order to ensure data security and business continuity,” said Renee Mehrian, Executive VP of Aqua Connect. “Once Aqua Connect Terminal Server is installed, multiple diverse computers and mobile devices can simply login, work with a full-featured OS X desktop and access almost any OS X-based application.”
Dave Brass, Managing Director of Avanquest Software in the UK, commented, “The combination of the need for greater business efficiency, the proliferation of mobile devices to access company data and the growth in the Mac market make Aqua Connect Terminal Server a prudent investment. Avanquest Software is delighted to be working with one of the
world’s leading Mac terminal server enterprise software companies with extensive experience and expertise in Mac, PC, Linux and UNIX platforms.”
For product demonstrations visit Aqua Connect’s YouTube™ channel and for further information visit www.avanquest.co.uk/aquaconnect or follow @avanquest_b2b on Twitter.
Club La Senza – Welcome!
May 31st
Back in December you may remmeber the The Cup Size Choir video from La Senza.
Well La Senza is back with another video, Club La Senza:
Club La Senza, the place where the hottest girls will be hanging out this summer. Club La Senza invites you to join in the summer action on this nudist beach!
Put outdated nudists in the shade this summer with Club La Senza!
Click here to see the La Senza Swimwear Interactive Lookbook:http://www.facebook.com/lasenzauk
ABC’s Charlie’s Angels – First Look
May 31st
Charlie’s Angels is an upcoming American reboot, television series developed by Alfred Gough and Miles Millar for ABC based upon the 1976 series of the same name. On May 17, 2011, ABC announced that the series would air on Thursdays at 8/7 Central, beginning in the Fall.
Three beautiful but troubled women, a former Miami police officer, a mysterious street racer and a well-to-do thief, are given a chance at redemption when they are recruited by an anonymous millionaire named Charlie Townsend to solve crimes.
Same as Once Upon a Time, watch the trailer and enjoy! 
ABC’s Once Upon a Time – First Look
May 31st
Once Upon a Time is an upcoming American Fantasy/Drama television series to air on ABC. ABC announced May 17, 2011, that the series will air Sunday nights in the 8PM (ET)/7PM (CT) time slot.
The series is loosely inspired by the classic fairy tale stories except set in the present day, hence the series name. The stories hold a key to the mystery that will draw a bail bonds collector and the son that she gave up for adoption 10 years earlier to a New England town called Storybrooke, Maine. This town is actually a parallel world in which fairy tale characters look like normal people and don’t remember their true identities or anything about their true lives.
Watch the trailer and enjoy!
Siemens launches Aquaris first waterproof hearing instrument
May 31st
Back in December, Siemens launched wireless technology for the hearing impaired. Well now they are launching the first waterproof hearing instrument called aquaris which has been developed to provide swimmers, sailors and the physically active with amplification despite the impact of water, sweat and dirt.
An innovative waterproof, dust and impact resistant hearing instrument has been launched by hearing health experts Siemens Hearing Instruments. Designed for anybody with hearing impairment that undertakes energetic activity either at work or during their spare time, Aquaris™ efficiently repels water, perspiration and dirt while its watertight housing safeguards against damage.
Aquaris is ideal for those who enjoy swimming, sailing, surfing and other water sports thanks to its watertight properties. A dedicated swimming software program inside the hearing instrument deals with the special acoustic conditions encountered during swimming and the custom-made soft ear mould is waterproof to a depth of one metre for 30 minutes.
Featuring a special casing with a sealed battery compartment, a watertight but air-permeable microphone membrane and protective cover, Aquaris is also suitable for individuals when running, mountain biking or playing other sports. A scratchproof, rubber-like surface holds the device securely behind the ear and an attachable sports clip adds extra security to prevent it from slipping during exercise. The device’s innovative housing protects the inside workings from damp, dirt, impacts and jolts while its ergonomic shape and soft-touch lacquering make it virtually shockproof.
“It is challenging for people with hearing problems to find a device that matches their active lifestyle – this is exactly why Siemens has developed Aquaris,” said Nicola Webster, Retail Product Manager at Siemens Hearing Instruments. “The Aquaris’ special casing enables this instrument to be waterproof and also guards against impacts and jolts that can occur when playing sport or exercising. As a result, Aquaris ensures the wearer can actively enjoy every decibel of life to the fullest.”
Siemens Hearing instruments is a world-leader in audiology solutions and the Aquaris device has been designed to incorporate the very latest digital hearing health innovations. For further information visit www.siemens.co.uk/hearing.
Packard Bell Liberty Tab
May 31st
Freedom is now at your fingertips thanks to the new Packard Bell Liberty Tab, designed for living your digital life to the fullest with maximum fun whenever, wherever, whatever. The new Packard Bell Liberty Tab is a 10.1-inch tablet created to answer all family’s need for entertainment, fun, multimedia and computing with top comfort.
With the Packard Bell Liberty Tab you will enter a new dimension of usability and enjoyment with no limit.
Free to express
First thing striking in the Packard Bell Liberty Tab is its marvellous line, conveying a pure sense of refined elegance. The Packard Bell Liberty Tab sports two chic colour options, Cherry Red or Pearl White in pure Packard Bell’s style, perfectly matching your personality. Express yourself and choose the colour that better conveys your mind.
Packard Bell Liberty Tab is all-inclusive, no need for adaptors: with the Packard Bell Liberty Tab you can express yourself at the very best.
Free to experience
Equipped with the Google Android 3.0 “Honeycomb” operating system, the new version of Android platform specifically optimized for tablets, the Packard Bell Liberty Tab makes any browsing and touch experience simply amazing.
It supports Flash contents, making the most of the web experience. Nowadays, about 80% of the websites work with Flash. Forget the frustration of a not fully displayed web page. With Packard Bell Liberty Tab you will always surf the web in the most comprehensive and dynamic way: for the best web experience ever. And you can surf several websites at the same time, with several tabs in the same window, for real multitasking.
Perfect for entertainment on the go, the new Packard Bell Liberty Tab can access to Market Place from Android with tons of applications, in an open digital world to which everybody can contribute or add new applications, in an evolving community.
Dads and sons will contend for the Packard Bell Liberty Tab to play with it. The Packard Bell Liberty Tab grants high precision gaming, thanks to built-in devoted sensors and an amazing, vivid experience, with NVIDIA® Tegra 2 processor for optimized HD viewing.
Dual cameras (2 Megapixels at the front and 5 at the back) are perfect to capture any key moment of your life and post it on Facebook. If you miss your friends or family far from you, simply go on Google talk and start a video call with them.
The up-to 10hours battery-life of the Packard Bell Liberty Tab will never let you down.
Free to enjoy
Thanks to the 16:10 screen format, black border on the screen is reduced to enjoy bigger images and video. Packard Bell Liberty Tab’s 10.1-inch full capacitive multi-touch screen ensures an optimal on-screen experience from every angle. Thanks to its wide viewing angle, you can clearly see what’s on the screen, wherever you are: at the cafe terrace, lying down on your sofa or watching YouTube videos with friends around you.
The 10.1-inch screen size with the best resolution available nowadays (1280 x 800) makes content view bigger. Enjoy gaming, e-magazines and webpages contents, with less scrolling.
If you want to share your content on a big screen, thanks to the HDMI™ output, you just need to plug your Packard Bell Liberty Tab to your TV: no need for any special video adaptor.
The automatic light adjustment ensures the best viewing experience, while the Dolby® Mobile chipset on board completes the high quality stereo sound. Headphones jack and direct access to volume down or up are at hand.
If you need more space for your digital files, you can add a 32 GB micro SD, for up to 40 movies or 8000 music files or 30,000 pictures more.
Connection to any device is easy and immediate thanks to the Packard Bell Liberty Tab’s USB ports. There is no need for adapters or USB connectivity kit.
Multiple connectivity options, including Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth® 2.1 and 3G, maximise your mobile experience and keep you in touch, wherever you are.
Looking for somewhere to hang out with friends? Thanks to the built-in GPS antenna and the Google Maps application available on Honeycomb, you can know where you are at any step,and, with the 3G version, get directions or live traffic info to show you the way to the coolest pubs and clubs
The new Packard Bell Liberty Tab will be available UK outlets from the end of June 2011. Availability, price and technical features may vary according to countries.
9 weeks till my climb up Scafell Pike at the Lake District National Park
May 30th
In 9 weeks time myself and my friend Rob will be climbing Scafell Pike the is the highest fell in England. Its height is 978 metres (3,209 ft) and it is located in the Lake District National Park in Cumbria. Now it may not be as high as a lot of mountains out there, but it’s something I’ve always wanted to do!
So if anyone has any tips, id really appreictae it.
Also if there’s anything else in and around the Cumbria area I should be taking a look at please let me know.
We already have plans for Wast Water:
Wast Water or Wastwater is a lake located in Wasdale, a valley in the western part of the Lake District National Park, England. The lake is approximately 4.6 kilometres (almost 3 miles) long and 600 metres (more than a third of a mile) wide. It is the deepest lake in England[1] at 79 metres (258 feet), and is owned by the National Trust. It is one of the finest examples of a glacially ‘over-deepened’ valley. The surface of the lake is about 200 feet above sea level, while its bottom is over 50 feet below sea level.
And lake Windermere:
Windermere is the largest natural lake in England. It is a ribbon lake formed in a glacial trough after the retreat of ice at the start of the current interglacial. It has been one of the country’s most popular places for holidays and summer homes since 1847, when the Kendal and Windermere Railway built a branch line to it. It is in the county of Cumbria and entirely within the Lake District National Park.
In the mean time I’ll carry on with my weekend walks. Last week we did 11 and a bit miles walking as part of the Darent Valley Path. around Shoreham, Lullingstone and Otford. On the way to Otford we took the markedout main pathbut on the way back we took a slightly diffrent way was quite interesting trying to make our way back with a map and compass, all good fun! 
Next weekend 12 and half miles around Bewl Water Reservoir i believe…
New Nintendo 3DS System Update Set to Arrive 7th June 2011
May 30th
Nintendo of Europe has announced that the latest system update for the hand-held Nintendo 3DS™ system will be available in Europe starting June 7. By downloading the free update via a broadband Internet connection, Nintendo 3DS users can enjoy a number of new features and enhancements including an Internet browser and access to the Nintendo eShop, where users can browse and purchase downloadable content.
For more information about Nintendo 3DS, visit www.nintendo.co.uk
The Sunday Times Launches The Social List
May 30th
Last week, The Sunday Times launched The Sunday Times Social List at www.the-social-list.com; a definitive and ever evolving list of who’s who in the world of social networking (The World’s Most Active And Influential Social Networkers).
Drawing information from the four biggest social networks – Foursquare, Twitter, LinkedIn and Facebook – The Sunday Times Social List system adds up your social networking activity and measures how much interest it generates amongst your friends and colleagues in order to work out how well you score.
Says Gordon Thomson, Online Editor of The Sunday Times, “The Sunday Times has a strong tradition of publishing great guides and lists – and The Social List is our latest innovation, a dynamic, interactive chart which shows you where you fit into the new world of social media. As social media continues to change the way people find information and interact online, so the Sunday Times Social List reflects the growing influence of bloggers and Tweeters on mainstream publishing and gives everyone the opportunity to pit themselves against their peers and climb the rankings of the most socially influential. ”
Jody Vogelaar, Head of News International Digital Marketing says, “We are very proud of how engaged customers are with our journalists and content in the social space. We have more than one million followers across our Twitter feeds – a number that continues to grow each week. The social space is inherently competitive and we are taking full advantage of this by creating a fun and engaging piece of social entertainment that is very simple to get involved in”.
Free to join, participants will simply need to link up whichever social networks they use and want to be included. Every morning The Sunday Times Social List will make its calculations.
People’s results will change daily as new people join and scores are updated.
On the results page you can see a list of the top 2000 most socially wealthy people at any given time. You can also see how you compare with friends and colleagues who have also signed up.
To help people see where they are in the grand scheme of things, they are allocated a rank when they join and a badge that goes with it. This could change from ‘Fledgling’ through to the top spot, ‘Titan’, over time, depending on how well they are doing.
Created by VCCP, The Sunday Times Social List was designed so that “Anyone can join in and take their place on the List – no matter how active or idle they are on social networks like Facebook and twitter”, says Colin Byrne, Creative Director. “We wanted to build on The Sunday Times’ history of publishing definitive lists that become part of popular culture, but create a list that’s not only useful, but something everybody can be a part of. It finally puts to rest the debate about which friends are the most active on twitter, foursquare and Facebook, and turns the everyday activity of updating your status and sending tweets into something far more competitive”.
Minecraft Beta 1.6 Released
May 26th
Minecraft Beta 1.6 has just this minute been released out – see post from notch here.
This update requires both a client and a server update.
Remember though if you still wish to join my public Minecraft Server – Yet Another Minecraft Server (YAMS). Then you must NOT update! This is at least until the Bukkit Team have released a recommended Bukkit build for it and plugins are working again. Please see post below posted on forums here regarding this. As you could always update but keep a backup copy of Minecraft 1.5.
If you’ve been with us through the last couple of minecaft updates you know that we don’t always update YAMS at the same time. This is because it takes awhile for bukkit to catch up and make all the plugins we use work like they are supposed to do. So again this time with 1.6 being released soon we are going to hold back and stay on 1.5 in order to keep our protections in place. If you update your version to 1.6 you will no longer be able to access YAMS unless you can follow some of the previous instructions about reverting or having two versions simultaneously. There are several posts on this subject so you may want to read them before the update is released.
Also, I’m sure you are all curious about the nether and before you ask us a billion questions
I’d like to say the current concensus is that we are willing to try it! We will be testing out several different ways to make it work without letting it get out of control so please be patient with us and we’ll see what we can do!
As always, thanks for being a part of YAMS
Change list for Minecraft 1.6 below:
Changelist:
1.6:
New features:
+ Added Nether support to multiplayer
+ The client will ask minecraft.net if the current login is valid. If the server says “no”, a warning message appears in the client. You can still play the game even if this happens.
+ Added craftable maps
+ Added hatches
+ Added tall grass in some biomes
+ Mushrooms now spreads (very) slowly
+ Added server property view-distance. Sets the radius of terrain updates (in chunks) to send to the players. Range 3-15, default 10.
+ Added dead shrubs in deserts
+ Added allow-nether (set to true or false) in server.properties
+ Blocks destroyed by other players in multiplayer now shows the breaking block particle effect
+ Doors make sound for other players in multiplayer
+ The record player now supports more than 15 different songs (you can’t get the records yet, though)
+ Activated dispensers make sounds and trigger particles in multiplayer
+ Players stuck in walls will slide towards the nearest gap if there is one
Changes:
* Disabled Advanced OpenGL until we can fix some bugs with it
* It’s no longer possible to build solid blocks on the top layer of the maps (sorry!)
* Made booster tracks speedier
* Severely nerfed fire so it spread slower, and doesn’t spread infinitely
* Seeds are now found in tall grass, using a hoe on the ground no longer works
* Compressed network traffic more agressively
* Blocks that don’t change appearance when the data changes don’t send block updates when their data changes now
* Arrows shot by players can now be picked up by all players
* Nothing riding anything or being ridden by anything can enter portals
Bugfixes:
* Fixed running out of memory corrupting the current level
* Fixed the side textures of grass getting extra dark when mining them
* Fixed anaglyph 3d rendering mode having severe visual bugs
* Fixed the crash screen vanishing immediately
* Fixed not being able to target blocks when at x or z pos 1000
* Fixed the achievements screen messing up the sky color
* Fixed saving while sneaking dropping the player through the ground
* Fixed a system clock change messing up the game speed
* Fixed rain sounds not playing with fast graphics enabled
* Fixed hair and cloaks being rendered in the wrong locations on sneaking players
* Fixed the attack/swing animation not being applied to the armor layer
* Fixed player rotation not being loaded correctly when loading a saved game
* Fixed arrow physics, making them not get stuck midair when you open a door
* Fixed arrows hitting reeds, portals, and other non-solid blocks
* Fixed keybindings not getting saved properly under certain conditions
* Fixed the player not being able to sneak off lowered blocks like cacti
* Fixed a bug where the player could mine without swinging their arm
* Fixed boats placed on snow being placed too far up
* Fixed submerged boats rising very very fast
* Fixed sand dropping onto boats getting stuck in a falling animation
* Fixed a game crash when riding a vehicle or animal into the nether
* Fixed falling while riding not dealing damage to the rider
* Fixed buttons and levers too close to the player being impossible to use
* Fixed dispensers shooting through walls
* Fixed fire hurting through wall corners
* Fixed entities reaching water through wall corners
* Fixed placing doors next to cacti creating half-doors
* Fixed buttons and levers being placeable on leaves in “fast graphics” mode
* Fixed furnaces and dispensers not dropping their contents when destroyed
* Fixed dispensers biasing later slots
* Fixed farmland taking too long to dig
* Fixed tilling below some blocks being possible
* Fixed tilling the underside of blocks somehow working
* Fixed fences and stairs sometimes becoming invisible
* Fixed walking on top of fences not producing step sounds
* Fixed fire sometimes existing mid-air as an invisible block of pain
* Fixed fences and wooden stairs not being flammable
* Fixed fire effect on burning entities sometimes getting rendered in the wrong location
* Fixed fishing rod rendering being a bit lacking
* Fixed fishing rods being stackable
* Fixed mining glass hiding the clouds behind the glass
* Fixed rain falling through liquids
* Fixed items in glass blocks not getting ejected properly
* Fixed water interacting strangely with glass
* Fixed glass not blocking rain sound
* Fixed fences and signs preventing grass from growing
* Fixed rain and snow being incorrectly lit
* Fixed grass staying alive below stair blocks
* Fixed the achievement screen not pausing the game
* Fixed some screens breaking the sky tint color
* Fixed fullscreen mode switching causing mouse issues and screen closes
* Fixed chat messages surviving through game switches
* Fixed ice so it regenerates regardless of whether it’s snowing or not
* Fixed rain falling too slowly
* Fixed levers being placeable on weird locations
* Fixed floor levers sometimes not delivering a signal downwards
* Fixed floor levers sometimes not being removed when the floor is removed
* Fixed rail tiles sometimes not properly connecting to a new neighbor
* Fixed minecarts next to each other causing extreme velocities (sorry!)
* Fixed wolves not following their owner if the name has different caps
* Fixed creepers retaining charge level when they can’t see their target
* Fixed dying in the nether spawning new portals
* “Fixed” beds in the nether
* Fixed inventory acting weird when portaling by making the portal close all screens
* Fixed wooden pressure plates being mined with pickaxes
* Fixed redstone repeaters having the wrong particles
* Fixed saplings being plantable through snow onto non-grass blocks
* Fixed ore density varying per quadrant from the center of the world
* Fixed dispenser graphics being one pixel off. ONE PIXEL!!!
* Fixed mushrooms spawning everywhere during nights
* Fixed animals only spawning near light during the night
* Fixed the multiplayer join screen input field being too short
* Fixed IPv6 addresses being parsed wrongly. To connect to a specific port in IPv6, use the format [1234:567::1]:25565
* Fixed network packets being sent unbuffered, causing huge amounts of packets being sent
* Fixed entity positions going out of synch sometimes. They get re-synched every 20 seconds now.
* Fixed inventory icons not animating after being picked up in multiplayer
* Fixed mushroom soup not leaving a bowl in multiplayer
* Fixed entities above the map height limit becoming invisible
* Fixed healing not flashing the health bar in multiplayer
* Fixed arrows being animated really strangely in multiplayer
* Fixed arrows triggering too many entity move updates in multiplayer
* Fixed the compass not pointing at the spawn location in multiplayer
* Fixed fires being impossible to put out in multiplayer
* Fixed record players spawning client-side fake records in multiplayer
* Fixed records not playing for other players in multiplayer
* Fixed players spawning in the wrong location and quickly lerping to the correct location
* Fixed monsters not being visible for players with their difficulty set to peaceful
* Fixed pigs getting hit by lightning in multiplayer spawning client-side zombie pigmen
* Fixed loads of exploding tnt generating way too many particles, possibly crashing the client
* Fixed bonemeal use in multiplayer sometimes spawning fake client-side trees
* Fixed saplings sometimes spawning trees client-side in multiplayer
* Fixed weather sometimes changing client-side in multiplayer
* Fixed grasscolor.png and foliagecolor.png not being read from texture packs
* Fixed stats getting saved to different files in offline mode if the caps in the player name differ from the true spelling
* Fixed fireballs not being visible in multiplayer
* Fixed ghasts’ fireing animation not being visible in multiplayer
* Fixed receiving more items than the maximum stack size sometimes causing an oversized stack in the inventory
